Priors Hall - A Learning Community

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement Since the school opened, there have been a number of changes of leadership and staff. The foundation trust has not provided effective support or resources for this expanding school. Leaders have not secured a consistently good quality of education.

The new headteacher, incoming academy trust and governors have quickly established an accurate overview of the situation in the school. They have put in place plans for improvement. However, these have not yet been implemented in full.

Other leaders are taking an active role in driving forward improvements to teaching, to raise standards. However, many actions are in the ea...rly stages and have not yet been evaluated. Pupils enjoy learning through interesting topics.

However, leaders have not put in place coherent frameworks to secure consistent progress for pupils across year groups and across a wide range of subjects. Teachers' subject knowledge is variable. Sequences of learning do not consistently build on and deepen pupils' knowledge and skills.

Not all teachers are showing pupils how to tackle more challenging tasks. Teachers do not make good use of information about what pupils can do to move pupils' learning forward. Teachers are not ensuring that pupils develop consistent habits of self-checking to be independent, confident learners.

The school has the following strengths The new headteacher has a clear focus on improving outcomes for pupils. The headteacher has galvanized the new leadership team and staff behind a shared vision of continual school improvement. Leaders have established a calm and welcoming learning environment.

Pupils are friendly and polite. Recent external support has increased access to effective training for staff. Staff are relishing these opportunities.

Current pupils' work in English and mathematics shows that their progress is improving. Parents value the approachable staff. They also welcome the improved communication and clarity of expectations from the new headteacher.

Information about this school

The school opened in September 2016, as a foundation school with the Woodnewton Academy Trust (WAT) being the qualifying foundation. The governing body is the responsible body, supported by WAT. WAT has administered the school within its multi-academy structure.

The current headteacher has been in post since September 2018. He is the third headteacher since the opening of the school. The school is being supported by the Inspiring Futures through Learning multi-academy trust (IFtL).

The school is due to join the trust imminently. The school is currently an average-sized primary school. The school originally had provision for Reception to Year 2, and is expanding year on year to the full age range of Nursery to Year 6.

Currently the school has provision for Nursery to Year 4. Consequently, the number on roll is increasing at a much faster rate than national averages. The cohort sizes and profiles of pupils' needs across the school vary widely.

For example, there are 18 pupils currently in Year 4, but 59 pupils in Year 3. Only four out of 10 current teachers have been with the school more than 18 months. Three teachers joined in September 2018.

Currently, the school is in the process of recruiting for three more teachers for September 2019. The school provides before- and after-school childcare. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.

The proportion of pupils with SEND is close to the national average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average. Pupils are sometimes taught in nurture group provision at another WAT school.

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